


Hoodie

by trilliath



Series: Priority: Happily Ever After [1]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Comfort, Love, M/M, Spooning Sex, migraine - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-04
Updated: 2012-06-04
Packaged: 2017-11-06 10:31:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/417845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trilliath/pseuds/trilliath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Someone on the meme requested a story that involved a naked ManShep spooning Kaidan, who was wearing nothing but Shepard's N7 hoodie. Someone else had also prompted about Kaidan having his migraines, so I combined the two a little.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hoodie

________________________

The instant Shepard sees him, he's interrupting Traynor to shove the datapad in her hands and march out of their conversation.

Kaidan is usually a bit embarrassed and definitely somewhat frustrated when he's about to be fussed over. Normally he would try to act as though nothing was wrong, to nod to the crew he passed, to send John back to his work after a quick kiss. Normally he would be embarrassed at the way the crew are falling kindly silent around him. But the pain is so unbelievably bad this time he can't spare a thought to anything but moving towards the sanctuary of somewhere cool and dark.

John is suddenly there at his side, silently wrapping an arm around him and guiding him towards the elevator. He closes his eyes gratefully, letting Shepard do the navigating for him. 

He winces at the sound of the elevator doors opening as they step in, and again as they whoosh closed. His hand grips a fistful of Shepard's uniform, clenching against the pain ricocheting in his brain.

He hears the near silent ticking of Shepard making some commands on his omni-tool. 

When they arrive at Shepard's cabin, Kaidan can tell even through closed eyes that the lights have been dimmed. Embarrassment is beaten out by love for emotions he feels as John guides him silently over to the desk chair. He sits, moving with achy stiffness. John moves to step away but Kaidan reaches out for his hands.  
John finds his with his own. Their calloused, battle-scarred fingers clasp tightly, tangling their fingers together for a long moment before Kaidan lets him go. 

Silently he slips away. A few moments later Kaidan hears the shower running in low-volume mode, and the sound is quiet, much more bearable than the usual rushing roar.

When John returns he lets his eyes open slightly. The cabin is nearly pitch black, only the glow of various controls and devices scattered around the room remain.

John's face is drawn in reflected pain as he approaches Kaidan, kneels on one knee in front of him so he can undo the laces of his boots. He works his way methodically up Kaidan's body undoing the clasps of his uniform so that he can tug the clothing gently off his body. Gripping the extended forearm to lever himself up, Kaidan stands so John can continue working his trousers and briefs over his hips and down to his feet.

Though he is naked, there is no customary look of lust on either man's face as Shepard steps back and lets him walk into the shower. The water will be cool, he knows, even before he touches it. It sends a shudder through his body, but it is a sudden and magnificent salve on his brow when he tips his head under the spray. The coolness always seems to quiet the roiling anger of the headache, making it less fiery, more dull and pulsing. Kaidan releases a shaky breath as the quiet dark room and cool water finally give him some relief.

The light on Shepard's omni-tool pulses dully in Kaidan's peripheral vision.  
Shepard checks the message quickly, then curses low under his breath.  
"I'll be back," he promises quietly.

Kaidan tries to offer him a smile. He's not sure his lips even move. "It's fine," he manages. "I'll be ok."

Shepard gives him a look that says he isn't buying it any more than he bought Rana Thanoptis's promise to reform. But he clearly can't stay. He nods once then, stepping back to go attend to his duties.  
Kaidan ducks his head back under the water until after he leaves. 

The unsettling side effect of the… difficulty on Mars was that while he was more powerful than ever and the headaches were less frequent, the migraines, when they did hit, were like the sprawling miles-long storms of Mars. He had no defense against them. Honestly, he'd taken bullets that had hurt less than this monster thrashing around inside his skull.  
But it meant everything to him that he had the skills and power which meant he could help John battle against nearly any of his formidable enemies. That he could remain by his side.

As for the cost… the best he could manage was a cold shower followed by the dark and silent bed, meditating until he either fell asleep or the pain passed. Chakwas did what she could, but because the migraines were mechanical and not chemical in nature, there was little she could do short of knocking him out - which he refused. You couldn't survive the insanity that went down on the Normandy if you were unconscious.

The water's not helping enough though, and he hits the toggle on the shower, taking a shaky breath.  
He'll try the bed next, but he has a bad feeling it's not going to do much good. 

There's only one more thing that helps; the steady warmth of John curled up against his back, just holding him, breathing with him. A grounding rod to a reality outside the pain.

Even the sound of the shower door sliding open is enough to make him want to curl over in pain, and he knows then that the bed is going to be little more than a soft prison without John to draw out his pain. 

Tears begin to well up in his eyes as he is growing very near the end of his control and emotion regulation. He hates that he can't keep the tears at bay but his body is betraying him in so many ways. He shuffles slowly down the stairs and over to the unmade bed, heedless of the water dripping from him, or the chill on his bare skin. He's too busy trying to keep the nausea in check. 

He crawls into the bed, sinking into the tangled sheets leaving damp streaks on the fabric. His skin is taut with goosebumps, and even the best fabric the alliance has to offer is like sandpaper on his senses. Tears of pain and frustration and loneliness drip unheeded from his clenched jaw. 

Eventually he notices that he is shivering in the cool air of the cabin and reaches down to tug at the lump of covers down by his legs.  
John's N7 hoodie is revealed in the pile of fabric as he straightens the covers over his legs. 

With shaky hands he draws it to his face, inhales the scent of it, of John. It's hardly a sufficient substitute, but it helps. Oh god it helps. He drags it onto his body, burrowing into its softness. Curling up on his left side, he settles his head onto the fabric of the sweatshirt bunched up on his crooked elbow and tries to rest.

 

That is how John finds him an hour later, a huddled ball in the center of his bed. In that hour he'd managed to avert another major diplomatic incident on the citadel and receive intel on an important mission that could save a lot of lives - to which end they were now leaving the docking hangar to head for the stars.

But he had hated every second of it, knowing Kaidan was up here, suffering by himself.

He slipped out of his clothes with measured movements, making sure to stay silent. Bare, he climbed into the bed behind Kaidan and slid close. He was simultaneously touched by the sight of his hoodie wrapped around his lover's body, and again regretful that Kaidan had been forced to make do with his discarded clothing.

He ran a gentle hand up under the hem of his hoodie, settling his broad palm against Kaidan's belly.

"I'm so glad you're here," Kaidan whispered.

John was not terribly surprised to find him still awake, though he lay still as death. He knew this was a bad one. 

"Me too," he whispered back.

He pulled himself tight against his love, burrowing his face into the soft fabric on his back. His hand started tracing a slow soothing circle on Kaidan's abdomen, and they both settled in for the long haul.

 

________________

 

John woke some time later to the sensation of Kaidan rocking his ass against his erection.  
His body regularly responded to his lover even when asleep, so he wasn't surprised to wake to a morning woody. He smiles, burrowing his face deeper into the fabric of his hoodie that was hiding Kaidan's neck and face from him. 

"Feeling better?" he asks quietly.

"Mmm, what do you think, John?" Kaidan replies, grinding back against him. Shepard can hear the smile in his voice.

Kaidan reaches away from him for something he can't see in the dark. It is revealed to him shortly when Kaidan reaches a red-striped arm back over his shoulder, handing him the bottle of lube they kept on the nightstand.

"Mmm," John agrees, taking it from him. He flips it open one-handed, puts some onto his hand and caps it with a flick, reaching down to spread the gel on his cock. 

"I need you, you know, _now_ , John," Kaidan says, voice tight as he strains back against him.

Shepard needs no further urging, and lines himself up with Kaidan's entrance. Sliding his hand over Kaidan's abdomen, he begins to bring them together. His lover lets out a low sound of pleasure as he pulls him back onto his cock. They both sigh contented breaths when their bodies meet, joined intimately. 

They rock against each other, savoring the sensations of each other's bodies. There's not much leverage, spooning as they are on their sides, but that's not important. What's important is the way they are locked together, moving together in slow pulls and thrusts. 

His hand splayed on Kaidan's belly, Kaidan's hand over his. 

They make love in languid deep strokes, curled together, legs entwined. John slides his other hand under Kaidan's waist so he can move his right hand down to stroke his lover's erection.

He times their strokes together, his hand coming to the base of Kaidan's cock each time he thrusts deeply into him.

He presses his face against the back of Kaidan's head, breathing in the scent of his hair, his skin over the scent of his own on his hoodie. Before long Kaidan is breathing hard and unevenly as he presses back into him. John firms up the strokes of his hand, pushing just a little more sharply into him. 

Kaidan's low, moaning breath is the only sound save the ever-present hum of the mass-effect field of the Normandy. John tightens his fist further, stroking his lover's cock with rapid rolls of his wrist. Kaidan tips his head back against him, arching into him as he nears his climax. 

"Yes," John whispers, sliding home again. Kaidan bows back against him with a hoarse moan, abs straining as he shakes, climaxing in Shepard's hand, spilling himself over his fingers and onto the sheets.  
John thrusts a few more times, then buries himself deep inside his lover and grunts through his release into the soft material between Kaidan's shoulders. 

They slowly catch their breaths, and they stay curled up together in the center of the bed, fingers entwined. 

The softness between them, wrapped around them is precious. Oh, there are missions to prepare for, and duties to attend to - and they will, soon, because it is, after all, what they do.

But, for a little while at least, they cling to the soft material of the moment together and just be.


End file.
